Effects of carbon nanotubes on expanded glass and silica aerogel based lightweight concrete

This study is aimed to investigate the effect of carbon nanotubes on the properties of lightweight aggregate concrete containing expanded glass and silica aerogel. Combinations of expanded glass (55%) and hydrophobic silica aerogel particles (45%) were used as lightweight aggregates. Carbon nanotubes were sonicated in the water with polycarboxylate superplasticizer by ultrasonication energy for 3 min. Study results show that incorporating multi-wall carbon nanotubes significantly influences the compressive strength and microstructural performance of aerogel based lightweight concrete. The addition of carbon nanotubes gained almost 41% improvement in compressive strength. SEM image of lightweight concrete shows a homogeneous dispersal of carbon nanotubes within the concrete structure. SEM image of the composite shows presence of C–S–H gel surrounding the carbon nanotubes, which confirms the cites of nanotubes for the higher growth of C–S–H gel. Besides, agglomeration of carbon nanotubes and the presence of ettringites was observed in the transition zone between the silica aerogel and cementitious materials. Additionally, flowability, water absorption, microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and semi-adiabatic calorimetry results were analyzed in this study.